Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-31
ANEcDOTE OF MENDELSSOHN.
Detecting One r Sharp In Twenty-six
Violius, with Chorus and Orchestra.

Detecting One + Sharp in Twenty-siX
violin-, with Chorus and Orchestra.
Carl Zerrahn, the veteran conductor OF
the Boston Handel and Haydn society,
spent the month of July on Staten Island.
To talk with him, no one would imagine
that his Boston career alone extends over
thirty-four years and that before he set
tied i'll the New England capital he hal
Travelled through the length and breadth
Of the United States for six years IA
member Of the famous Germania orchcs-
ira. He is still hale, hearty and vigof-
Gus, a tireless worker, and bubbles o, er
with enthusiasm SO soon as he gets iato
the company of musicians. He has an
ineXhaustible fund of anccdote and remin-
iscence. and, like those who remain If his
old associates. loves 10 recall the pioneer
work done by the Germania in behalf Of
orchestral music over n generation ago.
Here is one of Mr.. Zerrahn'n favorite
anecdotes which he repeated to some
musical friends over glass of Wurz-
burger: 1T was in 1872 or AZ, | am not
sure Of the year, that went to Schweriu
to attend music festival which Mendels-
sohn was to conduct. Now you know
Mendelssohn was II great musician and il
was not necessary for him TO resort to
tricks to advertise himself, but at this
festival occurred an incident which still
lives in the memory of German musicians
as the 'Mendelssohnsche Fis Geschichte'-
the Mendelssohn + sharp story. You
may explain il To silt yourselves The
orchestra WAS large one-twenty-six
violins headed by Ferdinand David-and
the chorus about $40 voices. At the last
t,anarnl rahaarSal ,y h.,
chorus, % great il. the depth Mendels-
sohn suddenly raped on his desk TO COM
mand silence and said: AT one of the
last violin stands somebody played +
sharp instead Of F. His friend David
Immediately jumped up and went from
stand to stand inspecting the parts When
he reached the last he cried out: I've
found it, Herr Doctor: here is
the + sharp OF course the mu-
sicians and singers were lost in admira-
ton Of such acuteness Of hearing and after
the rehearsal when | went to the beer
house with some Of the orchestra players
nothing was to be heard except expires
sions Of wonder at DIR. Mendelssohn's keen
ear. Now leave il to any conductor to
tep whether there ever has existed or can
eyiSt an ear able TO detect one + sharp in
SIN NltIiiiS. viii tIibEuS. oTSuL ana
orchestra playing tutti. But hear the
sequel. While we were talking about the
incident in came violinist who had sat
Ft the last desk. Immediately he was
surrounded.
"'How was it with that F sharp
"A very singular performance that F
sharp said the fiddler dryly. DO you
know, my partner belongs to the military
band and had to go on parade, so he was
absent from rehearsal this morning; and
when DIR. MendelssOhn heard that +
sharp which the concertmeister found in
my part / was engaged in putting on a
new string
And the whole thing was a petty con-
spiracy between Mendelssohn and David
to exploit the former;'
81 don't explain it; but the sharp before
the was written in lead pencil. and you
can't hear one F sharp under such circum-
stances, can you now and Mendelssohn
was not dependent on such tricks for his
reputation, was he:''-New York Tribune.